A Sonoran desert sunset that turns into waves now covers a wall in the University of Arizona’s Lotus Lounge, honoring Lorraine Lee, the Tucson activist who spent years fighting groundwater pollution in her own neighborhood.

The mural was unveiled Oct. 7 and is the final piece of a three-part series of events, “Spaces for Solidarity: Honoring Lorraine Lee.” Funded by the UA’s Campus Sustainability Fund, the series is meant to encourage student well-being and resilience by combining outdoor excursions and histories of activism that tie together environmental and social justice struggles.

“(We’re) very honored to bring (her) story to our campus, our community, and really uplift the really hard work that it takes to be in community, to build capacity, to work across communities and cultures, and really leave a lasting impact here in the city,” said Kenny Wong, a lecturer in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning.

Born to a father who immigrated from the Philippines and a mother who immigrated from Mexico, Lee was an environmentalist and activist who advocated for change in her community for more than 25 years.

Described as outspoken, a lover of Tejano music and a foosball enthusiast, Lee began her advocacy in middle school. Her mentor at St. John the Evangelist Church, Sister Nancy, was involved with the United Farm Workers movement at a time when pesticide spray in the fields was affecting the health of Filipino, Chicano and Hispanic farmworkers.

As a member of the Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán, she protested and picketed for farmworkers’ rights.

After attending Pueblo High School and receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the UA, Lee earned a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Lee returned to Tucson after graduation, accepting a job with Chicanos Por La Causa in 1983. After a year, Lee was asked to lead the agency. She grew it from a team of three to more than 80 organizers, helped develop three charter schools and established the La Causa Construction Company, which provided affordable single- and multifamily housing.

In 2001, Lee was awarded the Maclovio Barraza Award for Leadership, named for her predecessor at Chicanos Por La Causa. She expressed her gratitude for the award in both Spanish and English.

“Life hands us a lot of different battles, some by choice, some by desire and some by destiny. And it is looking at those battles that bring us forward, that we must move forward, each and every one of us, for what we do,” Lee said in a recording of her acceptance speech. “There are movements to take away our language, to take away our voice. And those of you who have heard, and not listened, you need to try a little harder … to give us the place that we always fought for … if you want to have us, you have to deal with us.”

Lee also advocated for Tucson residents affected by trichloroethylene, known as TCE, a toxic solvent that leaked into the south side groundwater supply from nearby industrial sites overseen by then Hughes Missile Systems Co., now known as Raytheon. The neighborhood she grew up in was one of the areas affected by the pollution.

She was appointed to the Pima County Board of Health by then-Supervisor Raúl Grijalva, later becoming president of the board.

After Hughes agreed to pay a lawsuit settlement of $84 million on behalf of 1,600 residents affected by the TCE leak, Lee went to Grijalva and then-Mayor Thomas Volgy to advocate for a TCE Subcommittee at the board.

She later became one of the chairs for the subcommittee, working alongside Manuel Herrera Jr. of the United Community Advisory Board, advocating in Washington for representatives to investigate the pollution.

Lee died in 2007 after an 11-year battle with throat cancer. She was 51.

The series also included a February panel of her mentees and loved ones and a commemorative hike on the hiking path named after her.

“I think Lorraine did a lot of work because she, in her heart, knew that she didn’t have that much time. As of October 31 … it’ll be 19 years since we lost her,” said her widower, Alonzo Morado. “She never admitted that she got her cancer from the pollution that happened on the south side. Her family lived on Kentucky Street, just north of Irvington. She showered in that water, she drank the water, her parents planted plants and the vegetables [using the water]. It wasn’t important to her. What was always important was to serve her community, and so for that I’m very grateful that that’s who I married.”

Ward 5 Council Member Selina Barajas was one of Lee’s mentees through Chicanos Por La Causa and credits her for where she is today.

“I remember feeling very seen by her,” Barajas said. “She saw something in people before they could see it in themselves, and then she pushed them for their potential … she pushed our entire community, especially our Southside community, making sure that we fight for what’s right.”

Barajas said Lee directly influenced her decision to pursue a master’s degree in urban planning at UCLA.

“I credit Lorraine to this day. We even shared the same professor, Dr. Leo Estrada, who always would speak so highly of Lorraine when I would meet with him in his office,” Barajas said. “After spending 10 years in Los Angeles and gaining all that experience and knowledge, I still find myself asking, ‘What will Lorraine think? What will Lorraine do? And sometimes, how will Lorraine vote?’ That to me is the power of a mentor.”

U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva was also present at the commemoration.

“My dad, Congressman Grijalva, had a very special connection with Lorraine and bugged her to be a part of all kinds of committees, which she was very giving of her time all the time,” Grijalva said. “Lorraine’s legacy reminds us that community activism isn’t just participating in marches and protests. It is also what community activism looks like in building a home, building a school, protecting a neighborhood, mentoring young people, bringing people together, saying, ‘This community matters, and I’m going to fight for it.’ That was Lorraine.”

The artist who designed the mural, Jenn Liv, is an award-winning Chinese Canadian-American freelance illustrator and educator, whose work has been featured in The New York Times, NPR and The Washington Post. She previously taught at the UA School of Art.

The mural features a variety of figures to represent the Tucson community and a sunset that transitions into waves, which represent Lee’s commitment to advocating against water contamination.

“Getting to know Lorraine Lee’s legacy, and getting to know such a wonderful, compassionate individual who did so much for the local Tucson community as a woman of color serving the Hispanic community …, and being an incredible member of the Asian community as well, it gives me a lot of pride and joy to have the honor and the responsibility of communicating her story,” Liv said.

The mural was completed in June.

“Love is not an easy feeling to put into words, nor is loyalty or trust or joy,” Morado said. “But Lorraine was all of these. Lorraine loved life completely, and she lived it intensely.”

Topacio “Topaz” Servellon is a reporter with Tucson Spotlight. Contact them at topacioserve@gmail.com.

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